Restaurant Review: Lyla, Edinburgh – Stuart Ralston’s New Open Has An Incredible 10-Course Tasting Menu
By
5 months ago
Worth the trek? Absolutely
Against all odds, Tessa Dunthorne makes it to Edinburgh to try Stuart Ralston’s new Edinburgh restaurant, Lyla – will it be worth the battle against the elements? (Spoiler: yes, very).
It’s almost a miracle that we make it to Edinburgh in the first place. It’s the weekend of storms, and we’ve battled the elements, been abandoned by LNER in Newcastle at midnight, and somehow made it from London to the Scottish capital. So, arriving at three in the morning before facing a half hour trek through rain and wind to our hotel, we’re praying that Lyla, Stuart Ralston’s new open, will be worth it.
The new restaurant occupies the former premises of Paul Kitching’s 21212. It’s Stuart’s fourth site (Aizle, Noto and Tipo his other three), and second opening in 2023 – so it’s been a busy year for the Great British Menu chef. But he’s there the night we arrive, as it’s all hands on deck for its very first week of operation.
It’s with sufficient rest, then, that we discover the little 28-seater on the Royal Terrace.
The little bar
Nestled in a Georgian townhouse, Lyla’s offer of a first feast is a purely visual one. As guests arrive, they are first met with a handsome staircase which leads to a lounge upstairs. Then, tucked in this lounge is a chic little bar housed by limewash walls and warmed by an incredible period fireplace. Above your head hangs a lighting display shaped like a tangle of fireflies, and the cornicing details on the ceiling are something to drink in. And that’s all before the actual drinks begin – cocktails arrive as you wait for the first snacks in comfy blue bar stools.
The snacks arrive with almost anatomical detailing – exactly how they were made, from process to kitchens. Little cheese tartlets were, for example, given time to mature before being further aged with flowers – these same flowers adorn the bites presented in the bar – and the result is a mouthful of edible art. They’re sweet thanks to sea buckthorn; it takes me a moment to place the source of sweet.
Apple meringue with fish tartare – and a jalapeno dusting
Sweetness is a running theme across the entire menu – as are flowers and fruit. Other reviews have pointed out that, while this is not explicitly a seafood restaurant, Stuart Ralston’s tasting menu is distinctly on the fishy side; this is true. What they don’t necessarily note is that there’s a fruity thread throughout. I get the sense that the chef has a real sweet tooth that is played against the savouriness of the fresh fish he’s working with. The other snack, an apple meringue topped with a dollop of fish tartare, has two layers of flavour: first, an initial sticky sweetness, which then transforms into a deep, spicy umami.
We’re led downstairs shortly after this. The dining room is a formal affair, an archipelago of tables sat underneath low, hanging poker lights, but it’s not too tightly wound – a bubble of gentle noise creates a relaxed ambiance. You can spy into the kitchen or peer over at your neighbours’ plates from the vantage of your seat. White tableware is restrained and minimal, with dried flowers in a flat, round vase accompanied by a smoked glass tealight votive. It’s a tasteful space, with minimal distraction.
The dining room
The menu itself is a 10 course marathon that sources inspiration from around the world, while using decidedly Scottish produce and ingredients. It’s playful: he does a spin on scampi which batters local langoustine and accompanies it with a burnt apple sauce; there’s indulgence and inherent naughtiness in slathering butter onto butter bread in a later course. And there’s a theatre to the food – a hunk of halibut in artichoke sauce, for example, arrives to the table and is then followed up by a waiter wielding a tiny golden spoon to dollop N25 caviar onto the dish, straight from the tin.
We eat an impressive amount and do not feel overfull – the portioning is sensible, sometimes to my disappointment. I could’ve eaten about ten portions of the black walnut sauce that accompanied the wagyu beef course, which is also undoubtedly the best course. Accompanied by crispy sweetbreads and buttons of truffle, it also has a side salad that’s the sort of thing you’d find alongside a posh kebab – in the very best way.
Wagyu beef with sweetbreads
The denouement of the meal remains a delight. Flowers crop back up – hibiscus adorning a port-glazed laganory cheese, then a yoghurt topped with sorrel buds that has a screw-your-face-up brilliant sourness. The final desserts, too, are a masterclass in how to do a final sweet treat. You’ll be glad of the careful portioning at this point, when presented with the chocolate cigar presented with a twist of the dark stuff, alongside barley koji and a salted milk ice cream (followed by the mini treats, a praline bonbon and coffee choux craquelin).
Final word: Stuart Ralston has said in interviews that Lyla could well end up his finest hour in terms of cooking – we think he will be right. Lyla is undoubtedly going to become a beloved staple of Edinburgh’s restaurant scene. A mature and playful menu that doesn’t once slip.
